Motorola MBP41 Color Video Monitor

For years I’ve been watching other women in my life go through the process of being pregnant and picking out endless items for the new baby’s life. It always seemed a little overwhelming to go through each need, research the possibilities, and feel comfortable making the purchases, especially for pricier items, like say … a monitor! But now that I am experiencing motherhood myself, I understand how these women were able to invest so much time into all of these decisions, and I especially appreciate it when a product makes the decision easy for me. I was recently super lucky to be able to try out a Motorola Remote Wireless Video Baby Monitor (MBP41).

This is a cool gadget. Like an owl it can quietly follow a little person around the whole room without moving its base! I feel like I have my own little R2D2 working the magic for me while I take care of other things around the house.

As I was getting my new little robot out of the package, I thought to myself how glad I was to have a husband good at gadget assembly … until I realized it’s already pretty much put together. I only needed a Philips head screwdriver to place the battery in the parent unit and everything else was incredibly obvious. The hardest part was getting the product out of the packaging!

The monitor comes with a rechargeable Ni-MH battery pack for the LCD viewer/parent unit and the battery pack has a 6V DC adapter for charging the battery. The baby unit/camera itself is powered by a 5.9V DC adapter

It’s seemed so easy that I almost didn’t look at the directions, but then I thought better of it and flipped through the manual to be sure not to miss something important. It was just as reassuring as the monitor itself—simple, concise, easy to read, and with illustrations that made sense. I was set up for success. It will prove to be a great reference for users that want to explore/navigate the menu options, troubleshoot the installation, or add an additional camera.

This little guy has a small footprint, so doesn’t take up much space if sitting on a counter or tabletop. In addition, it can be mounted, so I can’t foresee us having a problem placing it where we need it. This little android can go anywhere!

The Motorola MBP41 is sleek and modern looking. The monitor has a 2.8” high resolution LCD screen that allows for monitoring of a room/space. The camera itself can pan up and down and side to side with relatively good speed. You have the ability to zoom in and zoom out. The camera also works very well at night. The ability of the camera to move with a child is fantastic, allowing me to watch a child that may be moving around in a crib or as they get older, in a playroom. The excellent night vision allows for observation in a pitch black room. The LCD viewer has a kickstand that allows for it to be placed on a counter top for easy viewing hands-free. The LCD screen has an auto shutoff after a few minutes when not in use to help conserve the battery life.

The microphone on the unit is very sensitive. It picks up breathing and subtle movement, which is desirable when observing a newborn.

The biggest plus of this monitor is peace of mind. With this Motorola, I have reassurance that I can leave the room to perform household tasks around the house, yet I can still watch, listen and monitor my child with an extremely reliable unit. The excellent range allows me to move from one end of an average-sized home to the other end without losing reception.

If you’re like me, you search the Internet for reviews and videos to tell you more about a product you’re interested in. Currently, there are no videos available for the Motorola MBP41 since this product is new to the market. However, reviews for similar models by Motorola are available online for viewing.

Drawbacks for the monitor were really not big losses for us. It does not play lullabies or have a thermometer with a temperature report. Nor does it have Wi-Fi capabilities, which at first we were wanting. But then we remembered how often we’ve been in positions where Wi-Fi has failed us, and the last thing we want for monitoring our baby is to be dependent on internet service. The manual lists things such as microwaves and Wi-Fi that can interfere with the reception, but we have most of these items and have not experienced anything but great reception. Lastly, there are no fun colors yet for this product. It comes only in white.

One could argue that the batteries are a drawback because the manufacturer recommends using the battery pack included exclusively (for safety reasons). In addition, it instructs users to use only the DC adapters included with the unit to charge the parent unit and to power the baby unit/camera and recommends no extension cords with the AC adapters. It is also recommended that the cords be at a safe distance from the reach of children when installing the unit.

Overall, we are extremely happy with the Motorola MBP41. It has all of the features necessary for its designed purpose. The average user will be able to figure out how to use this monitor without even looking at the instruction manual—an extremely easy unit to use with all of the basic features I want in a baby monitor unit.